In a wonderfully detailed monologue this winter, Mike Sullivan labelled it “the ultimate competitive advantage” in a sport that is getting younger and faster by the shift.

Speed, Sullivan explained, takes many forms. There’s foot speed — players who can chase opponents down. There’s team speed — the ability to alter the point of attack through rapid puck movement and cooperative play. There’s mind speed — your recognition of openings with and without the puck. How quickly can you stuff them or zip through them?

“Windows of opportunity open and close quickly out there,” Sullivan said. “When you look at the core players we have, we’ve got players that want to play fast. Number 1, they can skate. But it’s more than just that. They see the ice well. They process the game quickly. They can execute quickly. All those things make a team able to play a fast game.”

In outrunning and outgunning the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3 in Saturday’s track meet, Pittsburgh played better and faster than an opponent that increasingly resembles a younger version of itself.

Generational talent and defensively responsible game-breaker at 1C. Weapons on all three top lines that can punish the opposition. Scary power play. Frightening transition game. Decent but relatively thin defence core that must pull by committee. Stellar starting goalie that makes jaw-dropping saves nightly.

“Toronto’s got a young team, they can skate, they have good team speed, they move the puck well, and they’re one of the teams that’s trying to play a similar style that we’ve been playing,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan holds the whistle that summons his Pittsburgh Penguins into go mode. He says he’s been preaching the powers of speed since he was hired for this gig.

Under his watch, Sidney Crosby & Co. discovered a new gear halfway through 2015-16 and sped all the way to the finish. They kept that momentum burning through to the spring of 2017, hoisting consecutive Stanley Cups and quenching their thirst with champagne.

And although the champs looked weary through the first two months of their three-peat bid, they’ve once again floored the gas pedal.

Funny, then, with speed so integral to both clubs’ identity, that they wanted to pump the brakes on this one.

“We’ve got to make sure we don’t get lured into a track race,” Sullivan said Saturday morning.

“We don’t want to get into too much of a track meet,” Leafs centre Nazem Kadri echoed down the hall.

Best intentions and all that. Cheetahs gotta run.

It was blink-and-you-miss-it hockey of fine calibre, orchestrated by the two hottest teams in the game.

Heading into their lively Saturday-night show, the Penguins and Leafs together had just two regulation losses in their past 20 games combined. Pittsburgh was looking for its 11th straight home victory, and Toronto was averaging 5.2 goals a night over its five-game winning streak.

Mere seconds after a sprawled-out Matt Murray robbed Zach Hyman on the doorstep with a desperate glove, Carl Hagelin one-touched a Bryan Rust feed past Frederik Andersen, converting on a 3-on-2 rush and giving Pittsburgh an early lead.

https://twitter.com/penguins/status/965019764807618561

Connor Brown solved Murray short side thanks to a smart behind-the-net setup from James van Riemsdyk and snapped a 12-game goal drought. Tyler Bozak followed by whacking in a juicy rebound coughed up from a Travis Dermott point shot.

Evgeni Malkin evened the score at two after gloving an ill-advised high clear from Jake Gardiner up the middle of the defensive zone. Malkin’s strike, which came off a beautiful tic-tac-toe passing sequence, marked his 900th career point.

“I felt good physically, but I wasn’t really handling the puck well tonight,” Gardiner said. “I’m not sure what that was about.”

A three-point night for Malkin gives him 69 on the year, vaulting the Russian over Calgary’s Johnny Gaudreau to seize second in the Art Ross race.

“A lot of speed,” Gardiner said of the Malkin line, which bowled over Nazem Kadri’s shutdown unit. “It seems like they’re doing a tornado in the zone, kinda going everywhere. You can never really predict it. Guys with that much skill, it’s tough to defend.”

https://twitter.com/penguins/status/965025316682027008

Crosby had an apparent goal wiped because he kicked the puck in, and Auston Matthews sent two near-identical backhand dekes high and wide. In a turn of nostalgic symmetry, ex-roommates Phil Kessel and Bozak traded Grade-A chances on A-grade goaltenders on the same shift.

Yes, it was the kind of night you’d want the popcorn delivered straight to your lap, lest you get up and miss a kick save or an odd-man rush.

“No question we generated a lot. But three or four of our best chances, I don’t think we ever got a shot on net,” Mike Babcock said. “There’s was lots of speed out there. If you’re a fan, you had to be entertained. It was racing around.”

Zach Aston-Reese — the most recent rookie Pittsburgh has plucked off a Google search and plunked on Crosby’s wing — restored the home side’s lead in Period 2 when he kicked a rebound to his backhand and flipped it over Andersen.

Patrick Marleau tied the game for a third time on another tic-tac-toe play, this one started by Matthews and Brown on a power play. Marleau’s 20th of the year gives the 38-year-old 15 20-goal campaigns in his Hall of Fame–worthy career, but he was hardly celebrating.

“It’s better when those goals come in wins,” Marleau said.

Zach Hyman’s speed produced a gasp-inducing moment in the third period, when Olli Maatta’s stick clipped his skate and Hyman’s head crashed into the end-boards as he outraced an icing. The top-line winger cleared concussion protocol and returned.

“I was going fast. High impact. I’m just happy to be OK,” Hyman said. “I don’t think he meant to hurt me. I think he’s trying to make a play.”

Maatta sifted a third-period point shot that weaselled its way through traffic to unknot the tie and deliver an 11th straight home victory for Pittsburgh.

“I got caught looking to the wrong side of the screen there and, obviously, would have had a better chance of stopping it if I was looking the other way,” Andersen said. “That’s a tough way to lose.”

The Leafs must catch a quick breath and sprint again Sunday night in Detroit. But the long-distance race to catch Pittsburgh’s pacesetting gallop goes on.

“They have the experience. They have the rings. They have the pedigree. We’re trying to become what they’ve been,” Babcock said.

“They don’t look like a team that wants to give it away anytime soon.”

]]>OlympicsCanadiens Golden Knights HockeyTakeaways: Canadiens’ Price not starting is odd, despite ideal resulthttp://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/takeaways-canadiens-price-not-starting-odd-despite-ideal-result/
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/takeaways-canadiens-price-not-starting-odd-despite-ideal-result//#commentsSat, 17 Feb 2018 23:02:51 ESTSat, 17 Feb 2018 23:02:51 ESTEric EngelsThis is the new reality, in which a loss for the Montreal Canadiens is actually a win.
]]>This is the new reality, in which a loss for the Montreal Canadiens is actually a win.

This one—a 6-3 smack down at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday—sunk the Canadiens to 27th in the 31-team NHL. It’s a distinct possibility they’ll wake up in 28th place. That will be the case if the Vancouver Canucks can pick up a point in their late-night game against the Boston Bruins.

With 24 games to go in their season, every loss the Canadiens manage gives them a better chance of drafting first overall this summer. That has to be their top objective, considering how bare their prospect cupboard is.

That considered, there are certain things that make a loss more digestible. Our first takeaway from Saturday’s game covers that.

The kids are alright

It was one of the highlights of the game when 23-year-old Canadiens forward Charles Hudon scored on a magnificent individual effort 4:32 into the first period.

Hudon collected a Max Pacioretty pass, took advantage of a bit of time and space, and he barrelled his way to Marc-Andre Fleury’s net before deking him to the forehand side to tie the game 1-1.

It was a little over seven minutes later when 22-year-old Canadiens forward Nikita Scherbak was on the receiving end of a beautiful zone entry from 24-year-old Alex Galchenyuk. With the Golden Knights taking a poorly timed line change, Scherbak crashed in on his off-wing and pulled the puck around Fleury before tucking it in on the short side. He had virtually no angle left to make the play and still pulled it off.

In the third period, 22-year-old Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin made his way into the slot and scored his team’s third goal of the game with a wicked slapshot on the power play.

Hudon, Scherbak, Galchenyuk and Drouin were Montreal’s most dangerous forwards in the game. Canadiens fans are going to want to see them be as dynamic in every game from here to the end of the season. If they can be, that bodes well for this team’s future.

A peculiar decision

Antti Niemi gave Carey Price some rest when he took to Montreal’s net in Colorado this past Wednesday.

Canadiens coach Claude Julien had considered Niemi’s career numbers against Colorado and decided he was a better fit to face the Avalanche—especially since the team was going to play in Arizona a night later and Price had never lost to the Coyotes in nine starts against them.

It was a justifiable decision, even though the Canadiens failed to pick up points in either city.

But, no matter how you sliced it, you couldn’t suggest that Julien’s decision to start Niemi over Price in Vegas would reflect well on him, Price or the Canadiens in any way.

When the coach was asked before the game why he was making that call, he said, “Because I have two goalies, guys, and Niemi’s the guy that’s gonna go in nets for us tonight, and I plan on utilizing both and Niemi’s been playing well.”

When Julien was asked in French if he was benching Price after he allowed five goals on 23 shots in Arizona, his response was only slightly more revealing.

“I think it’s more about where we are right now,” said Julien. “We’re not going to overuse the players. And in Price’s case it’s not a punishment, either. We’ll see him in the next game [Tuesday in Philadelphia]. Listen, we haven’t had an easy season, all of us. For sure it’s frustrating. There’s players who know because they know they’re capable of playing a lot better than they have. There’s years where things like that happen, so you just have to stay positive and keep your focus and continue to try to play well and win some games and finish strong. That’s what we’re going to try to do from here to the end of the season and we’ll manage the situation that way.”

It’s a response that can be interpreted many different ways.

Perhaps Julien didn’t want to feed Price to the proverbial wolves—a Vegas team with the best home record in the NHL welcoming his road-worst Canadiens.

If that was the reason, it doesn’t look particularly great on Price, who was signed this past July to an eight-year, $84-million contract that kicks in next fall. The thought is he’s going to be making that much money because he has proven he gives the team a chance to win even when it looks hopeless.

We can’t say for sure that Price would’ve stopped the three of Vegas’s first six shots that beat Niemi in this game, but not giving him that chance would only incite speculation that Julien didn’t feel confident enough in him to face that challenge.

And if this was an Niemi showcase for a trade (we sincerely doubt it was), it went south less than 10 minutes in—with Price relieving him of his duties for the remainder of the game.

The numbers are ugly

This was the Canadiens’ fifth consecutive loss.

That makes three streaks of five losses or more for them this season, which hasn’t happened since 2000-01.

It was also Montreal’s 11th loss in their last 12 road games.

And it was the 14th time this season the Canadiens have allowed as many as five goals in a game.

We suppose it doesn’t matter all that much whether the Canadiens allow just one goal or five so long as the result is a loss—especially now that we’ve reached this point of the season. They’ll take all the losses they can get from here to the end.

]]>HockeyNHLMONVGKGene J. Puskar/APkessel_philMaatta’s 3rd-period goal leads Penguins past Maple Leafshttp://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/maattas-3rd-period-goal-leads-penguins-past-maple-leafs/
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/maattas-3rd-period-goal-leads-penguins-past-maple-leafs//#commentsSat, 17 Feb 2018 22:31:55 ESTSun, 18 Feb 2018 00:54:47 ESTAssociated PressOlli Maatta scored the tiebreaking goal in the third period to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 5-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.
]]>PITTSBURGH — Olli Maatta scored the tiebreaking goal in the third period to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 5-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.

Evgeni Malkin had a goal and two assists to top 900 points for his career, becoming the sixth Russian-born and the fourth player in team history to reach the milestone. Malkin has 19 goals and 33 points in his last 20 games.

Bryan Rust, Zach Aston-Reese and Carl Hagelin also scored for the Penguins, who have won 11 straight at home and four in a row overall. Pittsburgh’s home streak is its longest since a franchise-record 13-game run during the 2013-14 season, and dates back to a 4-0 loss against Carolina on Jan. 4.

Matt Murray made 29 saves for the win, extending his streak without a regulation loss to nine decisions. He also tied Jean-Sebastien Aubin for fifth on the team’s all-time wins list with 63.

Maatta gave Pittsburgh a 4-3 lead at 7:56 of the third with a slap shot that beat Toronto goalie Frederik Andersen to the blocker side.

Rust sealed the win with his ninth with 3 1/2 minutes remaining to give the Penguisn their ninth win in the last 11.

Patrick Marleau, Connor Brown and Tyler Bozak scored for the Maple Leafs, who snapped a five-game winning streak and lost for just the second time in 11 games. Andersen finished with 34 saves.

Hagelin scored the game’s first goal on a re-directed pass off the rush for his seventh 3 1/2 minutes in, and Brown tied it when he beat Murray to the blocker side with a one-timer for his 13th a little more than three minutes later.

Bozak gave Toronto the lead with his ninth midway through the period when he converted a rebound from the top of the crease and Malkin tied it 1:11 later with his 33rd of the season and point No. 900.

Aston-Reese put Pittsburgh in front at 5:21 of the second period when he settled a rebound in front and pushed it past Andersen’s outstretched left pad for his third goal in three games.

Marleau tied it 3-3 with a power-play goal from between the circles for his 20th with 4:14 remaining in the second.

NOTES: Toronto’s Zach Hyman left midway through the third period after Maatta pushed him into the end boards. … The Penguins’ home win streak is tied for the third-longest in team history. … Malkin has a point in seven straight home games. … Penguins C Sidney Crosby’s 10-game home point streak ended. … Pittsburgh D Justin Schultz missed Saturday’s game because of illness. Matt Hunwick took Schultz’s spot after missing the previous nine games. … Penguins F Patric Hornqvist missed his seventh straight game with a lower-body injury. … Penguins F Jake Guentzel played in his 100th NHL game.

UP NEXT

Maple Leafs: At Detroit on Sunday.

Penguins: At Columbus on Sunday to open a three-game road trip.

]]>HockeyNHLPITTORColin E. Braley/APEric HosmerReports: Padres sign first baseman Eric Hosmer to 8-year dealhttp://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/reports-padres-sign-first-baseman-eric-hosmer-8-year-deal/
http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/reports-padres-sign-first-baseman-eric-hosmer-8-year-deal//#commentsSat, 17 Feb 2018 23:39:15 ESTSun, 18 Feb 2018 00:17:04 ESTSportsnet StaffThe San Diego Padres have signed first baseman Eric Hosmer to an eight-year deal, according to multiple reports.
]]>The San Diego Padres have signed first baseman Eric Hosmer to an eight-year deal, according to multiple reports.

https://twitter.com/jonmorosi/status/965077975917121536

Bob Nightengale of USA Today says the deal is for $144 million, but Hosmer can opt out after five years. The first five years of the contract are worth $105 million, according Nightengale.

https://twitter.com/BNightengale/status/965085712453423105

Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union Tribune is reporting that the contract is the biggest in team history.

Hosmer, 28, played all 162 games for Kansas City last season, hitting .318/.385/.498 with 25 home runs. He won Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards.

]]>BaseballMLBSD1704050871_5735897269001_5735888931001-vsTrotz speaks out on fans’ racially charged taunting of Smith-Pellyhttp://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/trotz-speaks-fans-racially-charged-taunting-smith-pelly/
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/trotz-speaks-fans-racially-charged-taunting-smith-pelly//#commentsSun, 18 Feb 2018 01:18:31 ESTSun, 18 Feb 2018 01:18:31 ESTSonny SachdevaHead coach Barry Trotz spoke out in defence of Washington Capitals winger Devante Smith-Pelly on Saturday after fans were removed from the United Center for launching racial taunts at the forward.
]]>Amid an ugly 7-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, the Washington Capitals emerged from the tilt the less embarrassed of the two organizations after four fans were removed from Chicago’s United Center for shouting racial taunts at Devante Smith-Pelly while the winger sat in the visitor’s penalty box.

Per Washington Post reporter Isabelle Khurshudyan, fans sitting near the penalty box shouted “basketball, basketball, basketball” at Smith-Pelly, before exchanging words with the visibly upset forward. Four fans were subsequently kicked out, according to Khurshudyan.

https://twitter.com/ikhurshudyan/status/965083337814691840

Capitals head coach Barry Trotz spoke out in defence of his player during his post-game scrum, admonishing the fans in question for their ignorance.

“There is absolutely no place in the game of hockey, or our country, for racism. I think it’s disgusting,” Trotz told reporters. “There’s no place for it. Athletes in this country don’t deserve that. It just shows ignorance.”

The Blackhawks organization put out a post-game statement regarding the incident as well, apologizing for the altercation.

https://twitter.com/NHLBlackhawks/status/965096451356463111

In October 2017, Smith-Pelly spoke out on the increasingly intertwining relationship between professional sports and race relations in the United States, opening up to The Washington Post about the difficulties visible minorities face in hockey as opposed to other sports.

“You look in the [locker] room, it’s only me,” Smith-Pelly told Khurshudyan at the time. “You look at all the teams, it’s not people that look like me. That’s just the way it is right now.”

“There’s a little bit of a lonely feeling,” the Capitals winger told the Toronto Star a month earlier. “I mean, all of us are on our teams by ourselves: there’s not two of us together, or three of us together … I can go to Joel (Ward) and say, hey — because he understands what I’m going through as a black man in America.

“I can’t go to anyone on my team and have them understand really how it is to be in my shoes. Just because I’m a professional hockey player: they just don’t understand. So it’s really lonely in that sense. You don’t really have anyone.”

]]>NHLCHIWASDavid Becker/APknights_goldenReilly Smith leads Golden Knights to win over Canadienshttp://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/reilly-smith-leads-golden-knights-win-canadiens/
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/reilly-smith-leads-golden-knights-win-canadiens//#commentsSun, 18 Feb 2018 00:16:11 ESTSun, 18 Feb 2018 00:16:11 ESTAssociated PressIt was a great time for Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley to visit the locker room after their latest win.
]]>LAS VEGAS — It was a great time for Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley to visit the locker room after their latest win.

The Golden Knights had just beaten one of the NHL’s Original Six teams, set another record for an expansion team in its inaugural season, and they also leapfrogged the Tampa Bay Lightning for the top spot in the NHL standings with 82 points.

Reilly Smith had two goals and an assist to lead Vegas to a 6-3 win over the struggling Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.

“It’s fantastic for us, it’s fantastic for the team, it’s fantastic for the fans _ I love it,” Foley said. “It’s really unbelievable and I wish Reilly would have gotten that last goal for a hat trick, because he deserves it.”

Foley admitted when the season started he didn’t think he’d be doing interviews this late in the season, but with his team clearly headed to the playoffs, he didn’t mind fielding questions.

“I knew we had a good team,” Foley said. “When we did the expansion draft, it was a lot of hard work, and we put a lot of planning into it. We had five mock draft sessions in the expansion draft. We knew what we were getting. The result is what we have.”

What Vegas has, is a team that improved to 22-4-2 at T-Mobile Arena, matching the 1979-80 Hartford Whalers (22-12-6) for the most home wins by a team in its first season.

Since their 3-2 loss in Montreal on Nov. 7, the Golden Knights are 30-10-3 while the Canadiens are 15-21-6.

Brad Hunt, Tomas Nosek, Ryan Carpenter, Nate Schmidt also scored for Vegas, while Jonathan Marchessault had three assists. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 30 shots, including a highlight-reel glove save on Charles Hudon skating in on a breakaway in the third period, to improve to 19-6-2.

“We just want to play the same way that’s made us successful and keep going forward and not kind of relax a bit, we just want to stay with it,” Hunt said. “We still got a lot of work to do. We just take it day by day, we’re not looking too far forward.”

Hudon, Nikita Scherbak and Jonathan Drouin scored for Montreal. Antti Niemi started and gave up three goals on six shots before being replaced by Carey Price midway through the first period. Price, who came into the game having lost eight straight road games, finished with 24 saves.

Montreal, which fell to 2-5-1 this month, has the league’s worst road record at 8-19-1. The Canadiens have lost 11 of their last 12 away from home and have been outscored 41-16 during the slide.

“It’s always tough when you lose,” Scherbak said. “We’re trying to stick together. We have a great group of guys here, everybody supports each other, and nobody is happy to lose.”

Smith got the scoring going with his seventh power-play goal of the season after taking Schmidt’s pass and one-time a laser past Niemi 2:16 into the game.

The Golden Knights scored with the man advantage for the 12th time in 13 games, finishing 1 for 2 on the night. Vegas also improved to 24-3-0 when scoring the first goal of the game and their .889 win percentage when recording the opening mark leads the NHL.

“First goal has been huge for us this year,” Smith said. “Our record is pretty outstanding when we score the first one. But it’s teams like that, if you let them stay around, they’re the ones that are going to make you pay. Those leads are huge at the start and they help us out.”

Hudon tied it a couple of minutes later, as he skated past Hunt and used a nifty move to beat Fleury.

But Hunt made amends for losing Hudon down the boards when he drilled a slap shot from the point to put Vegas ahead. Nosek’s goal made it 3-1 and sent Niemi to the bench.

Scherbak got his first goal of the season to cut the lead to 3-2 with 8:13 left in the opening period.

Carpenter scored his fifth goal in seven games 3:07 into the second period, and Smith got his second of the game 37 seconds later to make it 5-2.

Schmidt got his fifth on a pass from Smith to give Vegas a four-goal lead four minutes into the third.

Just 13 seconds into a power play, Drouin fired a slap shot into the back of the net at 8:44 to close the scoring.

NOTES: Montreal D Joe Morrow played in his 100th career game, while F Paul Byron played in his 100th consecutive game. … When Price entered the game he tied Patrick Roy for second in team history for most games played by a goalie. … Canadiens C Tomas Plekanec moved into seventh place for the most games played in team history. … Golden Knights defenceman Luca Sbisa is now one point away from 100 for his career.

UP NEXT
Montreal: At Philadelphia on Tuesday.
Vegas: Hosts Anaheim on Monday.

]]>HockeyNHLMONVGKCarlos Osorio/APholland_kenKen HollandRed Wings’ Ken Holland among possible Seattle GM candidateshttp://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/red-wings-ken-holland-among-possible-seattle-gm-candidates/
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/red-wings-ken-holland-among-possible-seattle-gm-candidates//#commentsSat, 17 Feb 2018 23:27:51 ESTSat, 17 Feb 2018 23:31:59 ESTMike JohnstonIf and when Seattle gets an NHL franchise, there’s likely to be a number of high-profile candidates to be the team’s first general manager.
]]>Being the general manager of an NHL expansion franchise is a daunting task but based on the immense success the Vegas Golden Knights are having in their inaugural season, being GM of a Seattle team could be a promising endeavour.

If and when Seattle gets a franchise, there’s likely to be a number of high-profile candidates to be GM and Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland appears to be “at the top of the list,” according to Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos.

“Let’s make no mistake about it, Kenny Holland is out there,” Kypreos said during the Headlines segment Saturday on Hockey Night in Canada. “His contract is going to expire at the end of the year. No talks at all scheduled. It appears it might go all the way to the end of the season before it gets addressed. You’ve got to put him at the top of the list.”

]]>HockeyNHLBOSDETPITTORVGKFred Chartrand/CPsenators_ottawaBrassard has goal, 2 assists to lead Senators past Rangershttp://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/brassard-goal-2-assists-lead-senators-past-rangers/
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/brassard-goal-2-assists-lead-senators-past-rangers//#commentsSat, 17 Feb 2018 17:15:32 ESTSat, 17 Feb 2018 17:54:54 ESTCanadian PressDerick Brassard had a goal and two assists as the Ottawa Senators defeated the New York Rangers 6-3 on Saturday afternoon.
]]>OTTAWA — A quick start by the Ottawa Senators eventually led to an early exit for Henrik Lundqvist.

Derick Brassard had a goal and two assists as Ottawa defeated the New York Rangers 6-3 on Saturday afternoon. Lundqvist allowed five goals on 27 shots before being replaced by Brandon Halverson with 13 minutes remaining in the contest.

Halverson stopped five of the six shots he faced for New York.

Matt Duchene and Mark Stone both added a goal and an assist for Ottawa (21-27-9), which has won two straight games. Craig Anderson also stopped 35 shots while Johnny Oduya, Magnus Paajarvi and Thomas Chabot also scored.

It was Chabot’s wraparound goal off Nick Holden’s skate at 7:27 of the third period that put Ottawa ahead 5-2 and was the straw that broke Lundqvist’s back. However, the goal did require a video review to confirm the puck did cross the line.

"I saw it from my angle since I was behind the net," Chabot said. "I saw it going off his skate and off his pad.

"It was kind of tough for the ref to see but I saw it from behind the net. It’s in our style of play now to attack a little more and support the forwards and it’s not just me but other guys did a good job of jumping into the play."

Michael Grabner, with two, and Mika Zibanejad scored for the Rangers (27-27-5), who’ve lost three straight and have just five wins in their past 18 games.

"It’s a tough situation right now," Lundqvist said. "I think we’re doing a lot of good things but I also feel we’re beating ourselves.

"There’s plays where we’re there but we’re not. Until we fix that we’re not going to win a lot of games. You can look at the goalie and say he needs to make more saves, butâ€¦I have stretches where I feel I can play better but I feel I’m tracking the puck pretty good and one-on-one I feel pretty good, but clearly it’s not enough."

Grabner scored his second of the game at 15:11 of the third cutting the Rangers’ deficit to 5-3. But Paajarvi scored at 17:15 to give the Senators their 6-3 advantage.

Stone opened the scoring at 1:03 of the first when he beat Lundqvist from the slot after taking a pass from Brassard, who was behind the Rangers’ goal. It was Stone’s first goal in eight games and his fourth contest back after missing nine with an injury.

Oduya made it 2-0 by beating Lundqvist from the right faceoff circle at 12:07. Oduya moved in from the point and took a pass from captain Erik Karlsson.

The Rangers responded before the end of the period. Michael Grabner chopped at a puck at the top of the crease and just barely put it past Anderson, who got a piece of the puck, cutting Ottawa’s lead to 2-1 at 16:01.

Duchene restored Ottawa’s two-goal lead at 11:59 of the second, tipping a Cody Ceci point shot past Lundqvist. Zibanejad split the Senators’ defence and avoided an Anderson poke check to score at 14:31 but Brassard countered at 18:53 redirecting a Mark Borowiecki pass past Lundqvist.

"As a team we’re making more plays, we have more confidence and there’s good chemistry among the guys," Brassard said of the Senators, who have six wins from their last nine games. "The three lines complement each other, our defence are active and they support well. We’re all on the same page."

Trouble is, even with the win Ottawa remains 13 points behind the New York Islanders for the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

Notes: Alexandre Burrows, Ryan Dzingel and Fredrik Claesson were scratches for the Senators. Cody McLeod, Ryan McDonagh and Alexandar Georgiev didn’t play for the Rangersâ€¦Burrows was serving the fifth game of a 10-game suspension for kneeing New Jersey’s Taylor Hall in the headâ€¦ The Senators visit the Nashville Predators on Monday while the Rangers are home to the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday.

]]>HockeyNHLNYROTTFrank Franklin II/APEeli-TolvanenTop Predators prospect Eeli Tolvanen could join team after KHL seasonhttp://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/top-predators-prospect-eeli-tolvanen-join-team-khl-season/
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/top-predators-prospect-eeli-tolvanen-join-team-khl-season//#commentsSat, 17 Feb 2018 23:30:33 ESTSat, 17 Feb 2018 23:31:36 ESTSonny SachdevaLooking to follow up on their 2017 Stanley Cup Final appearance, the Nashville Predators are looking to bring over highly touted prospect Eeli Tolvanen to bolster their offensive corps.
]]>After loading up with yet another marquee deal earlier this season, in the form of Kyle Turris, the Nashville Predators remain on the hunt for a winger to complement their now dangerous depth down the middle.

But as prices remain high for true game-changers up front, it appears the Predators may opt for a different route to bolster their forward corps before the 2018 post-season begins: apparent Olympic phenom Eeli Tolvanen.

“He has been a splendid story for the Finnish team,” Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston said of Tolvanen during the Headlines segment of Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday. Tolvanen dominated to the tune of a four-point stat line in his Olympic debut on Thursday, before following up with two goals in his second go-round one night later.

“And what he is, is an interesting choice for the Nashville Predators, who own his rights — a first-round draft pick from last year.”

However, the 18-year-old Finn appears to be doing his part to convince the Predators brass he’s worth holding onto — and perhaps even bringing into the fold sooner than later.

“He’s the sort of player that, with prices so high on rentals, most teams would be looking for when they’re looking for a top prospect. I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Johnston said. “Nashville sees him potentially as the solution to their problems. We do know they want a scoring winger. That’s what they’re in conversations for, mostly, on the trade market.”

Tolvanen has suited up for 47 games in the KHL this season, amassing 17 goals and 34 points for Jokerit Helsinki. As soon as the KHL post-season concludes in April, the young winger will be eligible to venture west.

“He is able to come over after his KHL season,” Johnston said. “There has been dialogue between the Predators and his camp during the year about the possibility of him signing his entry-level deal once Jokerit is out of the playoffs. And don’t be surprised if he’s the addition to the Predators once we get to playoff time, not another player at the deadline.”

Looking to follow up on their 2017 Stanley Cup Final appearance, which saw Nashville come two games short of their first championship, the Predators currently rank first in the Central Division and second overall in the Western Conference.

]]>HockeyNHLNSHNYRBen Margot/APnash_steveSteve Nash named Basketball Hall of Fame finalisthttp://www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/nba/steve-nash-named-basketball-hall-fame-finalist/
http://www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/nba/steve-nash-named-basketball-hall-fame-finalist//#commentsSat, 17 Feb 2018 13:24:22 ESTSat, 17 Feb 2018 16:27:13 ESTAssociated PressCanadian basketball icon Steve Nash has been named a finalist for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
]]>LOS ANGELES — Point guards could run the show in the next Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class, with Jason Kidd and two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash among the 13 finalists announced Saturday morning.

Ray Allen, Grant Hill, Maurice Cheeks and Chris Webber also made the cut, but the two standout point guards are all but locks to headline the class, which will be unveiled during the NCAA Final Four in San Antonio.

Kidd ranks second in NBA history with 12,091 assists, and Nash is third with 10,335 assists.

Nash won back-to-back MVP awards in 2005 and 2006 with the Phoenix Suns. He made the All-NBA first team three times during his 18-year career with the Suns, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers and helped kickstart the development of the sport in Canada with his freewheeling style. Nash was also a two-time WCC player of the year in 1995-96 at Santa Clara and engineered a memorable upset of second-seeded Arizona in the NCAA Tournament.

Kidd was the 1994-95 NBA rookie of the year, setting the stage for a 19-year career in which he made the All-NBA first team five times and All-Defensive first team four times. Kidd won an NBA title with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011 and is second all-time with 2,684 steals. He also was named Pac-10 freshman of the year in 1993 and Pac-10 player of the year in 1994 during his two seasons at California, and won gold medals with the U.S. in Sydney Olympics in 2000 and Beijing Olympics in 2008.

James Worthy, the standout Lakers forward who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003, saw plenty of both Kidd and Nash as a television analyst. Worthy thinks it would be fitting for Kidd and Nash to be inducted in the same class.

"Enhancers of the game, and made everyone else better than they probably were," Worthy said. "Jason Kidd had a flair that was like Magic Johnson, he just had angles. And Steve Nash was the same way."

There are other strong contenders outside of Kidd and Nash, with Hill’s college success and Allen’s prolific shooting marking the strongest arguments for each of their respective candidacies.

Allen’s 2,973 three-pointers made are the most in NBA history. He won NBA titles with the Boston Celtics in 2008 and Miami Heat in 2013, memorably sending Game 6 to overtime on a tying 3-pointer with 5.2 seconds left in regulation.

Hill was a two-time national champion and two-time All-American at Duke, but injuries kept him from reaching the same heights in the NBA during his 19-year career.

Charles "Lefty" Driesell, Rudy Tomjanovich and Baylor’s Kim Mulkey made the final ballot as coaches. Katie Smith, Tina Thompson and longtime NBA official Hugh Evans are also finalists.

Driesell took four different schools to the NCAA Tournament and won two ACC Tournament titles at Maryland. Tomjanovich led the Houston Rockets to consecutive NBA titles in 1994-95. Mulkey won an NCAA title as a player at Louisiana Tech and two more as the coach of the Bears.

The 1953-58 Wayland Baptist University teams that won 131 consecutive games and four AAU national championships is the lone team finalist.

In addition to the finalists, Andy Bernstein and Doris Burke were named recipients of the 2018 Curt Gowdy media award

Finalists must receive 18 votes from the 24-member honours committee to be enshrined.

The entire class will be unveiled during the NCAA Final Four in San Antonio.

]]>BasketballNBATony Dejak/APjames_lebronLeBron says he ‘will definitely not shut up and dribble’http://www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/nba/lebron-says-will-definitely-not-shut-dribble/
http://www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/nba/lebron-says-will-definitely-not-shut-dribble//#commentsSat, 17 Feb 2018 19:23:23 ESTSat, 17 Feb 2018 19:23:23 ESTAssociated PressThe Cleveland Cavaliers superstar reiterated his determination to speak out on social issues and the nation’s political climate Saturday during his media availability for the NBA all-star game.
]]>LOS ANGELES — LeBron James says he will not stick to sports.

The Cleveland Cavaliers superstar reiterated his determination to speak out on social issues and the nation’s political climate Saturday during his media availability for the NBA all-star game.

"I will not just shut up and dribble," James said. "I get to sit up here and talk about what’s really important."

James spoke publicly after Fox News host Laura Ingraham criticized the three-time NBA champion for his recent comments about social issues. James previously responded with an Instagram post containing similar sentiments.

"We will definitely not shut up and dribble," James said. "I will definitely not do that. I mean too much to society. I mean too much to the youth. I mean too much to so many kids that feel like they don’t have a way out and they need someone to help lead them out of the situation they’re in."

James made the initial public comments in question during a recent video segment on Uninterrupted, a platform co-founded by James. He was joined by Kevin Durant, and both superstars were sharply critical of President Donald Trump and the nation’s racial climate.

James referenced Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, Bill Russell and Jackie Robinson as athletes who previously spoke up for equality and change without concerns about the consequences or any rewards.

"We know it’s bigger than us," James said. "It’s not about us. I’m going to continue to do what I have to do to play this game that I love to play, but this is bigger than me playing the game of basketball."

James was backed at media day by several All-Stars including Stephen Curry, Paul George, Draymond Green and Durant. They all believe athletes have an important opportunity to advocate for positive social change.

"We’re a part of what’s going on this world, what’s going on in this society, just as much as anybody else," said George, the Oklahoma City Thunder forward from nearby Palmdale, California. "We’re fathers. We’re sons. We’re brothers. We’ve got family to look after. We’re connected as deeply in this as anybody else is. For someone to go out and say, ‘Stick to dribbling a basketball,’ that’s pretty ignorant. That just goes to show you where we are as a country right now."

Curry called the Fox News host’s comments and dismissive tone "aggressive and just out of line … but not surprising, because I’ve heard that plenty of times before."

"That’s the tone that people (utilize to) try to put athletes and black athletes in a box, to say, ‘Basketball is the only thing that you can provide in this world,"’ Curry said. "It’s really, obviously, very upsetting. I think the way that we handle the response is to highlight all the good that we’re doing … Every single NBA athlete here that plays this game, that’s not what we’re about. That’s not all that we contribute to this world.

"Guys are going out, putting resources and funds, and raising awareness in the community and trying to make the world a better place through what we do."

Axford, a native of Port Dover, Ont., grew up cheering for the Blue Jays. Soon after signing a minor-league deal with Canada’s only MLB team, he shared a picture that shows him wearing Blue Jays-branded pyjamas.

“It’s what I grew up with,” he said. “It’s what I was a fan of my entire life growing up.”

Christmas morning 1994 in Port Dover, Ontario. Decked out in my @BlueJays gear! Somehow, I am happier now than I was in this picture! Beyond excited for this opportunity!!! pic.twitter.com/zdJcxrXW83

Once Axford agreed to terms with the Blue Jays, his parents found the photo and sent it to him.

“I actually forgot about those pyjama pants in that photo until they sent it to me,” Axford said. “It was pretty amusing, even to myself.”

Axford’s coming off a tough 2017 season that saw him miss extended time with a shoulder injury then post a 6.43 ERA with 17 walks in 21 innings for the Oakland Athletics. That said, he averaged 95 m.p.h. last year and his shoulder now feels strong.

Fellow Canadian Russell Martin was certainly pleased to see Axford join the Blue Jays. “I like that guy,” he said. “Another good Canadian boy. Put another one on the list.”

This wasn’t the first time Axford talked with the Blue Jays; the sides were in contact about a potential minor-league contract in 2015 before he signed a non-roster deal worth $2.6 million with the Colorado Rockies. This time, the deal came together and Axford gets to live a childhood dream.

“I always thought it’d be something kind of special and cool to play the back end of my career for the Jays,” he said.

BIAGINI BELONGS

Joe Biagini doesn’t have any guarantees of making the Blue Jays’ opening day roster, but his first two seasons in Toronto have given him confidence that he belongs at the MLB level.

“The first year you’re just trying to convince yourself you belong there,” Biagini said. “The second year, you kind of say ‘OK, I’m used to it now, I do belong here.’”

Gradually, Biagini settled down and stopped trying to prove himself in 2017.

“You go ‘Oh, I actually kind of do belong here and I’m going to start actually expanding my horizons in terms of what kind of player I want to be and how I want to improve.’

“The third year is now putting it together.”

As Biagini enters his third season with the Blue Jays, he’s being stretched out as a starter to provide rotation depth behind Toronto’s top five. While he could begin the 2018 season at triple-A Buffalo, chances are he’ll get plenty of shots to put it all together at the MLB level.

32 ON THE SLEEVE

The Blue Jays will wear a commemorative ‘32’ patch honouring Roy Halladay’s legacy this season, starting in spring training. The two-time Cy Young Award winner died in a plane crash Nov. 7, but left a meaningful legacy in Toronto.

“It means a lot,” manager John Gibbons said of the patch. “He should be recognized. It’s a tragedy. I don’t know anybody that ever came across Doc that didn’t love the guy. He wasn’t an easy guy to get to know, but you loved everything about him because he was a gentleman, he was a standup guy and in the profession we’re in he was the best in the game. It’s a nice honour, but it’s still very sad.”

PHILLIES ADD HUTCHISON

Three seasons ago, Drew Hutchison was the Blue Jays’ opening day starter. Now he’s a member of the Philadelphia Phillies after signing a minor-league deal with an invite to big-league spring training.

“He’s a guy that we’ve long admired. We think there’s some untapped potential there,” Phillies GM Matt Klentak said. “We have a bunch of young starters that are cutting their teeth at the big league level, and Drew will come in and compete with that group.”

The 27-year-old spent the 2017 season pitching for the Pirates’ triple-A team, and he posted a 3.56 ERA with 124 strikeouts compared to 57 walks in 159.1 innings.

BLUE JAYS NOTES

• The Blue Jays could use Yangervis Solarte at shortstop if needed, but view him more as a second baseman or third baseman who could fill in at short. “I don’t think that’s his true spot,” Gibbons said.
• Reliever Jake Petricka’s throwing off flat ground as scheduled while he recovers from an off-season elbow operation, but the Blue Jays assigned him to minor-league camp for the time being.
• Curtis Granderson’s early impressions of the roster? “It seems like this organization has a very deep 40-man with guys that can play multiple positions and be inserted anywhere.”

So, could the Jets and Sens be possible trade partners ahead of the Feb. 26 deadline?

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said during the Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada Saturday that he thinks the Jets have inquired about the winger.

“It wouldn’t be an easy deal to do,” Friedman said. “He’s got a [modified] no-trade [clause] which does have the Jets on it and I also think the ask from Ottawa would’ve been too high. They will both move on.”

Hoffman has 16 goals and 39 points in 57 games this season and has led the Sens in goals in two of the past three seasons.

With the Senators tied for the second-fewest points in the Eastern Conference, they’ve already begun to shake up the roster. They traded away Kyle Turris to acquire Matt Duchene in a three-team deal in November and sent Dion Phaneuf to the Los Angeles Kings earlier this week.

]]>HockeyNHLOTTWPGChris Pizzello/APmitchell_donovanTwitter Reaction: Mitchell, Booker star on Saturday nighthttp://www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/nba/twitter-reaction-mitchell-booker-star-saturday-night/
http://www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/nba/twitter-reaction-mitchell-booker-star-saturday-night//#commentsSun, 18 Feb 2018 00:19:25 ESTSun, 18 Feb 2018 00:19:25 ESTVivek JacobAll-Star Saturday night was filled with promise, but as has been the trend with the way the game is played in the modern era, the three-point contest provided more entertainment value than most of the two-point dunks.
]]>NBA All-Star Saturday night was filled with promise, but as has been the trend with the way the game is played in the modern era, the three-point contest provided more entertainment value than most of the two-point dunks.

Spencer Dinwiddie had to make big comebacks to beat both Buddy Hield and Kitchener, Ont., native Jamal Murray in the first couple of rounds, but then cruised past Lauri Markkanen in the final of the skills challenge. Devin Booker defeated Klay Thompson in the three-point contest, while Donovan Mitchell took home the dunk contest after making a tribute to Vince Carter.

]]>BasketballNBABob Donnan/APAll Star Saturday BasketballTakeaways: NBA Skills Competition comes up short on wow momentshttp://www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/nba/takeaways-nba-skills-competition-comes-short-wow-moments/
http://www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/nba/takeaways-nba-skills-competition-comes-short-wow-moments//#commentsSun, 18 Feb 2018 01:17:07 ESTSun, 18 Feb 2018 01:17:07 ESTDonnovan BennettThe 2018 NBA Skills Competition will be remembered for the high amount of missed shots and dunk attempts rather than the frequency of wow moments.
]]>In what was a fun but ultimately underwhelming NBA All-Star Saturday night, the big winners were players from teams who haven’t done much winning in the first half of the NBA season. The 2018 NBA Skills Competition will be remembered for the high amount of missed shots and dunk attempts rather than the frequency of wow moments.

Here are my takeaways from the show that the NBA players put on in Hollywood for the biggest night during NBA All-Star weekend.

Raptors Hate
Before the competition started Jimmy Butler tried to throw shade on the Raptors during the Team Stephen Curry practice. Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan set him straight.

RIP, Skills Challenge
Finally, the guards retained the title from the big men in the skills challenge. Spencer Dinwiddie won, but let’s be honest: nobody cares — including the players performing in the competition.

The name of the event itself is flawed as they don’t display skills and the course is not a challenge. Everyone is traveling at half speed. There is no chance any of the competitors even bothered to stretch before they took the floor. This needs to be abolished in favour of Charles Barkley racing a referee. I’d rather watch NBA players play a game of bump than the skills challenge. Literally, anything else would be more entertaining than this. Even two ball. Next year, fill the allotted Skills challenge time slot with Stephen Curry and LeBron James picking their respective All-Star teams live. You’re welcome, Adam Silver.

Devin deadly from deep

Devin Booker put up a record 28 points out of a possible 34 in the three-point contest.

Klay Thompson was the favourite coming in and had the previous final-round record. Booker dropped 28 points in the championship round to surpass Thompson’s 25 and Los Angeles Clippers forward Tobias Harris, who scored 17. Steph Curry and Thompson previously held the single-round record with 27 points.

The three biggest rounds ever have all been since the league switched to a format where a “money ball” rack can be placed anywhere and all the balls are worth double. The competition was mired by not just poor shooting but a bunch of bad misses. Paul George laid the most bricks and even tried to call bank to and use the glass when nothing else was working.

The Raptors were represented as Kyle Lowry participated for the second straight year, but was eliminated in the first round again after a tough score of 11. However, the big winner on the night was the 21-year-old Booker, who likely has a bunch of competition wins and all-star game appearances in his future.

https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/965044641195110400

https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/965049329055539201

And not only did Booker have the nicest stroke he also had the nice shoes on his feet.

Donovan’s creative dunks passed the field
The Jazz just can’t stop winning. Not only did they come in to the all-star break winning 11 straight, but their leading scored Donovan Mitchell took home the dunk contest title. Mitchell showed he was out to win it all from the very start of the competition as he led off by throwing a backboard alley, to himself finishing with a windmill using two different nets. That was good enough for a 48 and set the tone for the competition.

Like father like son
Larry Nance paid tribute to his dad by both bringing him out of the front row to help participate as a passer and rocking his old Suns jersey, including the tight shorts and high socks. His dad made the “rock the cradle” dunk famous before Michael Jordan made it a Nike commercial. Nance brought it back to remind everyone who did it first.

Props to Victor Oladipo for bringing props. The movie everyone is talking about right now is Black Panther, which is on track to set box office records.

Oladipo decided to elicit some Marvel super power help for his second dunk. Oladipo casually walked over to Black Panther leading man Chadwick Boseman, who was seated with co-star Michael B. Jordan, and grabbed a mask from the film to wear during his attempt. At which point he had the crowd in his hands.

The only problem is he missed the attempt right afterwards. Kenny Smith had the line of the night saying, “If he misses again, I’m not going to see the movie.” Oladipo had the most misses in the first round which is why he didn’t advance. His misses were actually breathtaking as his degree of difficulty was the hardest. He just couldn’t finish the scene when the audience was ready to give him an ovation.

Dunking over Kevin Hart isn’t impressive

It seems every year Kevin Hart is used as a prop in the dunk competition. Mitchell went back to that well and it wasn’t as impressive as you might think.

News flash: Kevin Hart is short. Jumping over him to dunk isn’t that impressive as you probably need to clear his height to flush on a 10-foot net in the first place. Mitchell brought Hart out with his own sister, Jordan and Hart’s young son.

He had the three of them duck down for him to soar over them from the baseline while catching a pass of the side of the backboard. The fact this was given a 50, waters down the true meaning of what a 50 is as we’ve seen variations of this dunk plenty of times throughout the years.

Larry Nance Jr.’s last dunk went from the most unimpressive to the most impressive in the competition after the benefit of replay. You know it’s real when the dunker himself pleads to the judges to watch the tape before they score it.

The great offensive rebounder double tapped the ball with two hands off the backboard and then dunked it with two hands. Dwight Howard has done it before with one hand but nobody else had the audacity to do it with two. Bravo, young Nance. You didn’t win the competition. But in your return to Staples Center, you won the award for the best dunk of the night.

https://twitter.com/NBAAllStar/status/965063918392668161

Mitchell pays respect to Vin-sanity

There is nothing better than nostalgia to seal the dunk contest.

Donovan Mitchell wisely paid tribute to the best dunk contest performer of all-time, Vince Carter. Mitchell saved his best dunk for last. On his second attempt, after slipping on the first, he completed an opposite way 360 dunk. Then followed it up with the VC two-handed point to the sky and the famous “it’s over” proclamation and hand action.

Although that was not the best dunk of the competition and didn’t have the same elevation or power as Carter’s rendition, it was enough to beat Larry Nance Jr., who had help from his ex-NBA playing father who won the first competition.

If this dunk contest had a theme, it was misses on initial attempts ruining the suspense and dunks looking better after the slow-motion replays showed off their subtle degree of difficulty. Dennis Smith Jr.’s second attempt got him a rare 50 and it was because after review, the degree of difficulty of switching hands on a between-the-leg dunk is so crazy it had to get full marks.

But Smith was rightfully mad that he didn’t get full marks for made dunks when the competitors like Nance and Oladipo didn’t lose appropriate marks for missing multiple dunks. There should be more weight given to a dunk that is landed on the first attempt. And a dunk that isn’t ever completed in the allotted three attempts shouldn’t be given any points. It is the dunk contest after all not the dunk attempt contest. We need judging guidelines and judging reform.

https://twitter.com/Dennis1SmithJr/status/965080797282648071

Judging the Judges

That highlights a bigger issue. Why were Mark Wahlberg, Chris Rock and DJ Khaled judging? Not only are they not former players or dunk contest participants, none of them have ever dunked. They weren’t mic’d so you couldn’t hear their commentary. Other than Chris Rock’s facial reactions after dunks and Khaled blowing an air horn after a completed dunk, they didn’t add anything to the telecast or competition. Khaled was the Russian judge as he routinely gave out the lowest score.

]]>BasketballNBATORDarryl Dyck/CPtanevChris Tanev. (Darryl Dyck/CP)Teams asking Canucks about Chris Tanev ahead of NHL Trade Deadlinehttp://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/teams-asking-canucks-chris-tanev-ahead-nhl-trade-deadline/
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/teams-asking-canucks-chris-tanev-ahead-nhl-trade-deadline//#commentsSat, 17 Feb 2018 22:34:30 ESTSat, 17 Feb 2018 22:34:30 ESTSonny SachdevaWhile the bigger defensive fish like Erik Karlsson and Mike Green are being dangled ahead of the NHL’s 2018 trade deadline, the Vancouver Canucks have seen interest continue to rise on one of their own as Feb. 26 draws near.
]]>While the big defensive fish being dangled ahead of the NHL’s 2018 trade deadline are offensive dynamos like Erik Karlsson and Mike Green, the Vancouver Canucks have seen interest continue to rise on one of their own rearguards as Feb. 26 draws near.

General managers around the league continue to inquire about Vancouver’s Chris Tanev, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, though it appears the Canucks aren’t keen on moving the 28-year-old for anything less than a significant return.

“He’s hurt right now, which could potentially complicate matters, but what I’ve been told is that the Canucks have told teams — including, I believe, Toronto — ‘If you’re serious, it’s going to take a special offer to do this,’” Friedman said during the Headlines segment of Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday.

“I think the Canucks realize still that even though they are rebuilding, you want to give your young players a chance. And you’ve got to be serious, really serious, if you want to get Tanev out [of Vancouver].”

After finishing with the second-worst record in the league last season, the Canucks have enjoyed a modest revival of sorts in 2017-18. While team-wide success continues to elude them, Vancouver has seen rookie Brock Boeser emerge as one of the most promising goal-scorers in the game, positioning himself as a Calder Trophy favourite with 27 tallies to his name thus far.

Tanev has followed suit with a modest improvement of his own, posting 11 points through 38 games this season after putting up 10 points through 53 games in 2016-17. Though that sum isn’t putting Tanev in the running for a Norris Trophy, it is enough to match the best points-per-game pace of the eight-year veteran’s career.

The long-time Canuck has two more seasons left on his five-year deal, carrying a cap hit of $4.45 million and a modified no-trade clause, according to CapFriendly.

]]>HockeyNHLVANcherry_don_feb17_2018Coach's Corner Don Cherry Ron MacLeanRon and Don: Flames’ Matthew Tkachuk is like Bruins’ Brad Marchandhttp://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/ron-don-flames-matthew-tkachuk-like-bruins-brad-marchand/
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/ron-don-flames-matthew-tkachuk-like-bruins-brad-marchand//#commentsSat, 17 Feb 2018 20:57:48 ESTSat, 17 Feb 2018 20:57:48 ESTMike JohnstonMatthew Tkachuk is having himself quite the sophomore season and he’s gaining a reputation as one of the peskiest players in the NHL.
]]>Matthew Tkachuk is having himself quite the sophomore season and he’s gaining a reputation as one of the peskiest skaters in the league to play against.

Don Cherry likes what he’s seeing out of the young Calgary Flames forward and alluded to the apple not falling far from the tree.

“I remember his dad [Keith Tkachuk]. Boy, was his dad tough. He could throw ’em and [Matthew] can throw ’em pretty good,” Cherry said during the Coach’s Corner segment on Hockey Night in Canada Saturday. “Good little hitter. I give him the ultimate compliment: he reminds me of [Boston Bruins star Brad Marchand] and I can’t say anything better than that.”

Not everyone would consider a comparison to Marchand to be a compliment, but Cherry sure does. Marchand’s ability to get under his opponents’ skin is uncanny but his impact on the ice is undeniable. His 1.29 points per game is second only to Nikita Kucherov for the NHL lead.

Tkachuk is quickly developing a similar reputation with 21 goals, 20 assists and 47 penalty minutes in 56 games heading into Saturday’s game against the Florida Panthers.

]]>HockeyNHLBOSCGYMark J. Terrill/APbryant_kobeShaq, Kobe reveal source of past beef at all-star weekendhttp://www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/nba/shaq-kobe-reveal-source-past-beef-star-weekend/
http://www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/nba/shaq-kobe-reveal-source-past-beef-star-weekend//#commentsSat, 17 Feb 2018 20:58:40 ESTSat, 17 Feb 2018 20:58:40 ESTVivek JacobKobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal got together for a ‘Players Only’ special on TNT and revealed what caused the dominant duo to split in 2004.
]]>Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant got together for a ‘Players Only’ special on TNT and revealed what caused the dominant duo to split in 2004.

The pair won three straight titles from 2000 to 2002, but fell apart against the Detroit Pistons in 2004.

“I admit, a lot of times, I didn’t come into camp ready, because that’s just how I got down,” Shaq said. “My thinking is, I don’t need to get ready for dunking. I don’t need to get ready. I’ll get ready when I get ready. Because I had you, I was able to just chill out in the summer, do what I do.”

Kobe quickly replies, “See, that’s what pissed me off. That was it right there.”

Living legends @SHAQ & @kobebryant sit down for a conversation surrounding their relationship through the years & three consecutive championships

Bryant has long been known as one of the hardest workers the league has ever seen, while O’Neal being such a unique physical specimen allowed him to at least think he could coast through the regular season and play his way into shape. Kobe estimates he spent close to “10 hours in the gym,” while Shaq spent his time “recovering from the Hack-a-Shaq,” by eating burgers, enjoying summers in Orlando and time with the family.

It’s a shame, really. The pair were arguably more dominant than Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, or even Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but apparently the difference in off-season habits created a rift too powerful to overcome.

Kobe describes wanting to go to practice as soon as possible knowing he had to be ready to argue and fight, knowing there was a chance he could get beat to a pulp, but that that’s what would make it a good practice.

This part of the interview is interesting, as Shaq believes they are the best duo to ever play because they were able to win three rings together in spite of all the controversy and media attention they had to overcome. One would argue that the other pairs are greater due to the fact they actually maximized their potential.

The conversation also goes into the first time the pair had a feud, and it came before the start of the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season. The two were playing a pick-up game against each other at Los Angeles Southwest College and O’Neal started to trash talk and insult Bryant.

Kobe challenged him, and before you knew it, Shaq’s large fist was coming for his face. Bryant describes narrowly evading the punch before people stepped in to separate them.

So, keeping in mind that it sounds like this pair was destined to last only in the short term, it is impressive that they could see eye-to-eye often enough to go back-to-back-to-back.

Kobe goes on to reveal he was ready to join the Chicago Bulls in 2004 and that he and his wife Vanessa had even picked out the neighbourhood they wanted to live in. That plan went up in smoke once Shaq requested a trade out of Los Angeles.

Could they have won four or five or six or seven together without the beef? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

As such, he has no time for your revenge narratives. He’s busy cruising around shark-like on hockey’s most dangerous power-play unit, mounding up points as he threatens to capture an Art Ross Trophy he doesn’t want, and dousing the Pittsburgh Penguins’ threepeat bid in character, seeing-eye passes and the occasional one-liner.

So, when Kessel was asked by a reporter Friday if an extra layer of motivation or nervousness would be slathered over Saturday night’s showdown versus his old team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, he just shrugged.

“I don’t really care anymore, y’know,” Kessel replied. “This is the third year, and we won twice, so it’s in the past.”

Presently, Kessel has already banked his 10th consecutive 20-goal season; his 42 assists put him on target to crush his career high in helpers; and he’s tied for fourth overall in NHL scoring. Kessel is quietly in the throes of what’s shaping up to be his best season in a career full of great ones.

Perhaps most impressive is that, in a game of streaks, Kessel has been the model of consistency. Once Andrew Cogliano got suspended, Kessel jumped to third among active ironmen, 663 games and running. This year, Kessel has never gone longer than two consecutive outings without registering a point.

His explanation for the dependability?

“I don’t know. Gettin’ lucky,” Kessel said. “I do the same stuff. I go to the same spots. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.”

The competitor in him must want to place an Art Ross Trophy on the mantle, right?

“I think people see the other side of him now with social media and things like that,” Crosby told reporters. “You get a little bit of a sneak peek. He’s pretty loose around the rink. He’s a great guy to have in the room and you need different personalities, and he certainly provides that.”

Goofy? Sure. A hazard to the Penguins’ dressing-room culture? Hardly.

The leadership group in Pittsburgh is too solid, and Kessel only needs to create offence and make his centreman — currently Riley Sheahan, although GM Jim Rutherford is working on that — look good.

Kessel maintains friendships with several guys from his Toronto days. He invited Dion Phaneuf to his first Cup party, and the long-time pals met for dinner in Pittsburgh shortly after Phaneuf’s trade to L.A. this week. Former linemates James van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak stay in touch and are happy to sing his praises.

“He’s a good friend of mine. We had some good times on the ice in Toronto and obviously I’m happy to see him doing well here,” van Riemsdyk said. “He’s a good passer. He makes space for himself just by making the right plays and putting the other team in a vulnerable position.”

Breaking news: Kessel doesn’t exactly miss the media spotlight of the centre of the hockey universe. He has the same number of points as Crosby and Evegni Malkin (66) but none of the pressure or brand-carrying responsibilities.

“It’s nice. I don’t have to talk every day to you [media] guys. I can kinda do my thing, and I like that,” Kessel said. “I just play.”

Play and watch women’s Olympic hockey, as Kessel is closely following sister Amanda’s Team USA games in PyeongChang.

“That’s what I care most about,” Kessel said. “I’m way more nervous for that than me playing. I’m hoping they can win.”

The genuine smile on Mike Sullivan’s face when the subject of Phil Kessel the Personality arises is enough to make you dismiss the trade rumours that circulated around the winger in July.

Maybe the whispered tales that Kessel was a special case, one who required former assistant Rick Tocchet to act as a buffer between him and his head coach, were overblown.

Or maybe that narrative is old and irrelevant now, too.

“I’ve got to know him a lot better as the years have gone on here and we’ve worked together, and I’ve really grown to admire and appreciate his personality. He’s a fun guy,” says Sullivan, and you believe him.

“I don’t think he takes anything too seriously — most importantly himself — and I think his teammates really enjoy having him around. He definitely keeps it light. He’s never been a guy that when the stakes get high, it affects his personality.”

The coach is on a roll, trying hard to paint an accurate picture of a misunderstood athlete.

“If you observed Phil, you wouldn’t know if we were in Game 1 of the season or Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final,” Sullivan goes on.

“Teams that are good, championship teams, there’s personality on their team. He brings one of those personalities. He’s unique in a lot of ways, but he’s a terrific player and a really good person.

“He’s not a guy to get uptight. He just plays.”

]]>HockeyNHLPITTORFrank Gunn/CPgarcia_jaime1280Blue Jays’ Jaime Garcia believes his best years are ahead of himhttp://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/blue-jays-jaime-garcia-believes-best-years-ahead/
http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/blue-jays-jaime-garcia-believes-best-years-ahead//#commentsSat, 17 Feb 2018 08:12:00 ESTSat, 17 Feb 2018 08:12:00 ESTBen Nicholson-SmithEntering his 10th big-league season, new Toronto Blue Jays pitcher believes he’s poised for his best year yet, even if he’ll be pitching in one of baseball’s toughest divisions.
]]>DUNEDIN, Fla. – Jaime Garcia pitched pretty well last year. Well enough that not one, but two contending teams acquired him late last July. Well enough to generate 2.1 wins above replacement, according to FanGraphs.

The Toronto Blue Jays would likely welcome a repeat of the 4.41 ERA and 157 innings he provided in 2018. That’s the kind of production they missed in 2017, when the likes of Nick Tepesch, Cesar Valdez and Casey Lawrence were called on to fill in all too often.

To Garcia, though, that’s not the expectation. He’s expecting his 10th season in the big leagues to be his best yet, even if he’ll be pitching in one of baseball’s toughest divisions.

“I’m ready for that challenge,” he said. “I believe in my stuff. I believe that the best of my career is yet to come even though I’ve been through a lot, and I’m welcoming that challenge.”

Garcia’s best seasons to date came early in his career in St. Louis. He placed third in Rookie of the Year balloting in 2010 after posting a 2.70 ERA in 28 starts. The following season he logged 194.2 innings while posting a 3.56 ERA. But he has since battled injuries that required shoulder surgery in 2013 and thoracic outlet surgery in 2014.

After signing a one-year deal worth $10 million with the Blue Jays Thursday, Garcia joined his new teammates in Dunedin, Fla. Friday morning. A groundball pitcher, he generates more than his share of weak contact with an effective two-seamer. At 31 years old, he still averages 90.7 m.p.h. with the fastball.

“I believe in myself, I believe in my stuff,” Garcia said. “The way these guys received me encouraged me even more. I just know we’re going to be good this year.”

“You’re bringing in a good veteran who knows how to pitch,” Gibbons said. “We’re excited to have him.”

Of course, the Blue Jays were similarly optimistic a year ago this time when Francisco Liriano seemed poised to make an impact as the fifth starter. Instead, too many pitchers got injured and too few options were available to replace them. Toronto starters combined for a 4.57 ERA.

A year later, the addition of Garcia pushes Joe Biagini out of the rotation – at least on paper. The Blue Jays will keep stretching Biagini out to keep their options open, but GM Ross Atkins said Thursday that he’d be comfortable optioning the right-hander to triple-A as a way to preserve depth. Gibbons would prefer to keep Biagini in the big-league bullpen if he’s not starting, and that possibility intrigues the 27-year-old.

“I think I’ll always prefer starting, but I’ll also say that pitching for this team and trying to help this team win in any capacity would probably trump the starting thing,” Biagini said.

Even so, the Blue Jays would likely send him to the minors if all of their starters emerge from spring training healthy. If that’s the case, Biagini will accept the challenge, and the Blue Jays will likely need him before long.

“To be a Rule 5 acquisition, the impact that he had in 2016 as a reliever, how well he handled bouncing back and forth from start to relief to start was exceptional,” Atkins said. “He’s selfless as a teammate. He remains that way.”

Those big-picture decisions are in the distance just three days into spring training. There’s plenty of time to determine where Biagini will pitch.

For now, he’s no longer among Toronto’s top five starters. That in itself shows that the Blue Jays’ rotation has improved.

“I think it’s one of the best in baseball,” Garcia said. “It’s extremely talented.”

]]>BaseballMLBTORHO-COC, Vincent Ethier/CPgirard_samuelCanada's Samuel GirardHow harnessing short-track chaos propelled Samuel Girard to Olympic goldhttp://www.sportsnet.ca/olympics/harnessing-short-track-chaos-propelled-samuel-girard-olympic-gold/
http://www.sportsnet.ca/olympics/harnessing-short-track-chaos-propelled-samuel-girard-olympic-gold//#commentsSat, 17 Feb 2018 12:16:49 ESTSat, 17 Feb 2018 17:10:10 ESTShi DavidiThe madness of short-track speedskating meant that Samuel Girard nearly missed the men’s 1,000-metre final entirely. In his next race, the Canadian used that chaos to his advantage on the way to an Olympic gold medal.
]]>GANGNEUNG, South Korea – The madness of short-track speedskating is such that when the second semifinal for the men’s 1,000 metres ended Saturday night, Samuel Girard was last in the group, literally bumped by teammate and close friend Charles Hamelin out of a spot in the final. Initial results in the sport have, of course, the staying power of ice in a desert, and so as the two stood off to the side talking things over and watching the screen, they both knew it was far from over.

The veteran Hamelin ended up being penalized for impeding, propelling Olympic rookie Girard into the final, which he won with a strong wire-to-wire to skate that made his first Games medal a golden one. The 21-year-old from Ferland-et-Boilleau, Que., comfortably beat American John-Henry Krueger, the duo out in front of a huge crash in the penultimate lap that wiped out the rest of the field.

Seo Yira, the South Korean skater with whom Hamelin initially bumped with in the semifinals, ended up claiming the bronze, underlining the narrow margin between disappointment and the podium.

"This is short-track," Girard said, both embracing and surrendering to the chaos, "things happen."

They certainly did for Girard, who ended up fourth in the men’s 1,500 earlier this week and whose goal was to share a podium with Hamelin. The 33-year-old was thinking the same thing, and thought both he and Girard would be in position to advance until some contact with Seo left the Canadians staring up at the board, waiting for the referees to determine their fates.

"Sam and the Korean tried to pass on me, we hit each other’s skates, got unbalanced in that straightaway that led me to go really wide in that corner," said Hamelin. "I tried to protect my spot because I knew it was an easy moment for getting passed on the inside. I think it wasn’t the thing to do at that moment. That’s what the referees saw on the replay. I need to see the race back because I don’t really understand what happened and what I could have done more. It is what it is."

Going from disappointment to opportunity in an instant, Girard needed a mental reset and coach Derrick Campbell and team psychologist Fabien Abejean helped provide one.

Campbell said Girard had made some mistakes racing in his first Olympic final during the 1,500, when he went out too hard and didn’t have the energy to chase down the leaders after a crash opened things up.

This time around, the chat with Campbell and Abejean "helped me be in the right zone," according to Girard, who decided then and there that he had to jump out to a lead in the final and try to hold it while expected chaos played out in the back.

"To be in the front of the race is really my place," said Girard. "Canadians are strong, we’re able to control the race, and I really wanted to be out front and be away from the crashes behind me. I knew something would happen, it’s the final, everyone wants to be on the podium, so that’s why I went to the front and give a little more energy to stay in the front."

Krueger had a similar approach, quipping that "great minds think alike." The American managed to race one lap in the lead but was otherwise behind Girard the whole time.

"He did it a little bit better than I did," said Krueger. "We both knew there were some talented and strong skaters in the back and even though it’s physically harder to lead upfront, there’s just too much traffic and too much stuff that can go down to stay in the back. We both stayed up front and it paid off for both of us."

Girard’s victory comes at a point of transition for the short-track program, with Hamelin and his fiancée Marianne St-Gelais both saying Pyeongchang are their last Olympics. Kim Boutin of Sherbooke, Que., is picking up the mantle from St-Gelais on the women’s side with a pair of bronze medals so far while Girard now has gold on the men’s side.

The first couple of short-track, with seven Olympic medals between them, have so far been shutout.

"We thought he had a chance in all three distances to come here and have a shot at the podium," Campbell said of Girard. "The men’s field is so deep right now, you look at the quarterfinals, they’re super tough, semifinals, I mean, he almost went out in the semifinals.

"It goes to show you any given day there are a number of guys who can win."

This time, it was Girard, who is rooming with Hamelin in Pyeongchang with the two of them spending the entire day together ahead of their races in preparation. "We were ready to do a great race in the semis," said Hamelin. "It didn’t go as planned but Sam is doing a great job and he’s really happy with his results right now."

Girard had plenty of reason to be.

"I’m really happy he was on the edge of the ice to share that with me," he said of Hamelin. "Also my girlfriend was there so I could share my emotion with the people I love. I was really happy about that.

"Having a medal at maybe his last Olympics and my first one, a gold medal at my first Olympics, that’s the best thing you can expect. I’m really, really happy right now."

]]>OlympicsJay LaPrete/APbacklund_mikaelMikael Backlund contractCap Comparables: Flames praised for Backlund’s six-year dealhttp://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/cap-comparables-flames-praised-backlunds-six-year-deal/
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/cap-comparables-flames-praised-backlunds-six-year-deal//#commentsFri, 16 Feb 2018 23:27:51 ESTFri, 16 Feb 2018 23:27:51 ESTMike JohnstonMikael Backlund is an integral part of the Calgary Flames’ success and he was rewarded with a six-year, $32.1-million contract.
]]>Mikael Backlund doesn’t get the same type of attention as Johnny Gaudreau or Sean Monahan, but he’s an integral part of the Calgary Flames‘ success and that’s why he was rewarded with a six-year, $32.1-million contract extension Friday evening.

Backlund was coming off a career-high 22-goal, 31-assist campaign and has registered 34 points through 58 games this season, but the 28-year-old brings a lot more to the table than mere point production.

While his 48.7 faceoff win percentage is nothing to brag about, the six-foot-one, 205-pound Swede is among the top two-way centres in the NHL. He currently ranks fourth among forwards in takeaways, boasts strong possession metrics, is the Flames’ top penalty killer — his 2:27 of shorthanded ice time per game ranks 13th in the league among forwards — and finished fourth in Selke Trophy voting in 2016-17.

The signing has received positive early reviews.

https://twitter.com/EricFrancis/status/964660940443598848

https://twitter.com/Fan960Steinberg/status/964662600582643712

https://twitter.com/SNRyanPinder/status/964660823191793664

Flames GM Brad Treliving deserves a pat on the back for the long-term extensions he has reached with his best players. It’s not outlandish to argue the Flames are getting more bang for their buck compared to the provincial rival Edmonton Oilers. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will have a combined cap hit of $21 million next year, while Backlund, Gaudreau and Monahan will combine for just $18.457 million.

Perhaps Backlund begins to decline as he enters his thirties, but for the time being you’d have to imagine Flames fans are happy with where there team sits.

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Backlund choosing to stay in Calgary serves as a vote of confidence for the organization as well, considering he likely could’ve earned closer to $6 million per year if he elected to test the waters on the open market.

“Me and my fiancée, Frida, we’ve put our roots down here and it’s our home. We’re just so excited to stay here,” Backlund told Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson after signing his deal. “I’ve been through some tough times here and some good times, and now I’m very excited because the team is only going to get better. The mission here is just to win. That’s what I like about the organization. All they want to do is just win that Cup and that’s what I’m very excited about it. I’m very looking forward to these years.

“From the beginning, we always said we wanted to stay in Calgary and I’m just so excited and relieved to have it done. I’m not going to lie it’s been on my mind the whole year. I think I have more in myself than I’ve showed this year.”

More accurate would be that the Toronto Raptors all-star was in large measure formed by the Los Angeles Lakers legend. DeRozan did more than study Bryant; he internalized him.

He talks about watching Bryant famously score 81 points against the Toronto Raptors while sitting on the edge of the bed in Compton as a teenager on a Sunday night, mentally cataloguing every single shot.

His hairstyles traced Bryant’s — shorter, longer – DeRozan’s moved in sync. As he became a rising high school star in the Southern California high school scene DeRozan terrorized opposing defenses while wearing Bryant’s signature sneakers.

And when he hit the NBA and began searching for a way to crack the code on becoming a star, it was Bryant’s template he turned to: the footwork, the physicality, the determination to turn every touch into a scoring chance.

“Early on, I tried to be like Kobe, do everything he did,” DeRozan says.

We all have heroes growing up but DeRozan is in the unique position of seeing his career and his childhood dreaming become intertwined.

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His childhood and his livelihood are coming together as DeRozan returns to Los Angeles as a starter in Sunday’s All-Star game.

Major sneaker brands typically use the weekend to launch their new lines and DeRozan – always a Nike athlete – has earned the honour of being the headliner for a relaunch of a series of Bryant’s signature shoes.

In Sunday’s game he’ll be wearing a pair of Kobe 1 Protro’s — a retooled version of the shoes Bryant wore when DeRozan was watching him score his career-high 81 against the Raptors.

The Raptors star is still trying to calibrate the way time has fallen in on itself in the space of just more than a decade.

“It’s a crazy thing to be able to carry your favourite players’ shoe legacy,” he says. “… It’s definitely a compliment, an honour, everything I can think of because, like I said, that’s one of the greatest players to ever play the game so to have that mutual respect and for me to be able to do something like that is cool.”

This All-Star game is full of meaning for DeRozan. That it is in L.A. means he’ll be able to fully share the experience with his family and in particular his father, Frank, whose health has been shaky enough this year that DeRozan has flown home for visits on off days more than once so far this season.

It also means more time with his daughters who have been living with their mother, Kiara Morrison, since she and DeRozan broke up early this season.

“[I’ll] try to do as much as I can with everybody close to me,” he says, “… kind of let them witness the experience as well … it’ll be my youngest daughter’s second one, my oldest daughter, she knows mostly all the guys. It’s always exciting for them … that’s a cool thing for me that I have fun [with them] so when they’re older, they can look back and say hopefully their daddy was cool.”

This is DeRozan’s fifth all-star game and he’s far from jaded. He loves that fact that his All-Star experiences have been so closely meshed with some of Bryant’s 18 All-Star appearances.

In 2016 the game was in Toronto and DeRozan was the unofficial host for the last All-Star game Bryant played in during his career. When the game was last in Las Angeles in 2011 DeRozan played in the rookie-sophomore event and participated in the dunk contest. “You thought that was everything but when you’re an all-star you realize Sunday was the big thing,” he says.

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But in a way his most vivid All-Star memories are from the 2004 game, also in Los Angeles, when a 14-year-old DeRozan, living in Compton – about 13 miles south of Staples Center — could only watch Bryant as he always had: on television.

“I just remember being in Compton, honestly, and being able to see the lights downtown and thinking I had something to do with all-star weekend because it was in your city,” he says. “[I] could see advertisements, you see all the stars going there. It was one of them things as a kid you see, you wish to be just anybody important, to be able to go to things like that …”

“Not saying I believed I was going to be a part of it but it was just one of those moments where you see things like that, being in Compton, you just wanted everything. You wanted to be, if it’s a rapper, to be him, if it’s a basketball player, anybody. That’s all you cared about.”

By that measure, DeRozan’s appearance Sunday is more than a homecoming, it’s a confirmation of a lifetime of yearning, often with Bryant as his distant muse.

An interesting twist is that as DeRozan’s game is peaking he’s moved away from the fierce dominance that characterized Bryant at his statistical heights, when he would put 81 on a hapless opponent because they were weak enough to allow it.

After setting career marks for usage last year when 34 per cent of Raptors possessions were used by DeRozan, he has touched the ball less (he’s down to 30 per cent usage rate) and passed the ball more (a career-high 25 per cent assist rate) than he ever has since he first became an All-Star in 2013-14.

After setting career scoring marks a year ago while letting the three-point revolution unfold around him DeRozan has worked to incorporate the NBA’s most important shot into his game earlier in his career than Bryant ever did, and is showing signs of being a better three-point shooter than his idol was.

Bryant remains a role model, but DeRozan is no longer patterning the specifics of his game on the player he idolized as a teenager.

“I don’t try to do or be like him [anymore] or anything,” he says. “But the mentality part of it is everything and when it comes to that, I try to be everything as close to him as possible.

“I take stuff from him and add that to my game but at the same time, I opened up … feeling free with expanding everything in your game and finding more enjoyment with that.”

Things change. DeRozan’s evolution is proof.

But while his growth as a player is being recognized with his All-Star status, that doesn’t mean DeRozan is so far removed from the kid who watched the event unfold from his home in Compton that he can fully grasp walking across the same stage Bryant starred on for so long, quite literally in his idol’s shoes.

“I’m pretty sure after Sunday I’ll have a lot more to say about,” he says. “I still don’t believe it. Friends [in LA] are saying things they see around the city now, whatever it is, billboards, whatever it is … even for this being my [fifth] all-star game, every single one kind of heightens for me because you never thought I’d be [where] I am today.”

]]>BasketballNBALALTORJeff Haynes/APdebrincat_alexBlackhawks rout Caps to end 8-game losing streakhttp://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/blackhawks-rout-caps-end-8-game-losing-streak/
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/blackhawks-rout-caps-end-8-game-losing-streak//#commentsSun, 18 Feb 2018 00:05:17 ESTSun, 18 Feb 2018 00:05:17 ESTAssociated PressJonathan Toews had a goal and two assists and the Chicago Blackhawks ripped the Washington Capitals 7-1 on Saturday night to end an eight-game losing streak.
]]>CHICAGO — Jonathan Toews had a goal and two assists and the Chicago Blackhawks ripped the Washington Capitals 7-1 on Saturday night to end an eight-game losing streak.

Patrick Kane, Brandon Saad and Ryan Hartman each added a goal and an assist in a 44-shot attack that took advantage of Washington breakdowns and powered Chicago to its first win since Jan. 30 at Nashville. Nick Schmaltz, Artem Anisimov and rookie Alex DeBrincat also scored to help the Blackhawks snap a seven-game slide at home before season-high crowd of 22,066 at the United Center.

Tom Wilson scored for the Capitals, whose first-place lead in the Metropolitan Division over Pittsburgh slipped to one point.

Chicago’s Anton Forsberg stopped 19 shots. Washington’s Braden Holtby allowed six goals on 33 shots through two periods. Philipp Grubauer took over in goal to start the third and gave up a goal on 11 shots.

Washington’s Barry Trotz coached his 1,500th NHL game. He joined four others in reaching that mark, including Chicago’s Joel Queneville.

Kane’s assist was his 500th. The Chicago star’s goal was his first in five games and just his second in 12.

The Blackhawks took a 3-1 lead in the first period, outshooting Washington 21-6.

Toews opened the scoring 6:19 in, connecting on a sharp-angle shot from the left boards that hit Holtby’s left pad and deflected in between his legs.

Wilson tied it at 1 just under 4 minutes later when he was left open in front and connected on a nifty, waist-high deflection of Matt Niskanen’s shot from the point.

Saad put Chicago back in front at 12:47, firing in a loose puck after Holtby had foiled Vinnie Hinostroza point-blank by poking the puck off Hinostroza’s stick.

With 30 seconds left in the period and Holtby out of position, Washington defenceman Dmitry Orlov slipped behind his goalie and blocked Tommy Wingels’ shot.

But Schmaltz scored with 0.8 seconds left in the first from the right side of the net to make it 3-1 after taking Carl Dahlstrom’s cross-ice feed.

Kane, Hartman and Anisomov scored 2:07 apart on consecutive shots late in the second to extend Chicago’s lead to 6-1.

Kane buried a rebound of Toews’ shot with 3:38 left in the period to make it 4-1 after Toews picked off Brooks Orpik’s pass, and both he and Kane broke in alone.

Hartman weaved down the slot _ and past three Washington defenders _ then scored on a backhander 1:10 later. Anisimov’s power-play goal from the left circle with 1:31 left in the second capped the outburst.

Set up by Hartman, DeBrincat’s tap-in midway through the third made it 7-1.

NOTES: Besides Trotz and Quenneville, others to coach 1,500 games in the NHL are Scotty Bowman, Al Arbour and Ken Hitchcock. … DeBrincat’s 22nd goal gave him three in his last four games. … Dahlstrom, a recent call-up, assisted on Schmaltz’s goal for his first NHL point. … The Blackhawks’ longest overall losing streak in one season is 12 games, set at the end of the 1950-51. The skid extended to 13 games when Chicago lost its opener to start 1951-52.

]]>HockeyNHLCHIWASJack Hanrahan/APfoudy_liamOHL Roundup: Foudy scores 2, including winner, as Knights edge Ottershttp://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/juniors/ohl-roundup-foudy-scores-2-including-winner-knights-edge-otters/
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/juniors/ohl-roundup-foudy-scores-2-including-winner-knights-edge-otters//#commentsSat, 17 Feb 2018 23:16:30 ESTSat, 17 Feb 2018 23:16:30 ESTCanadian PressLiam Foudy scored his second goal of the night 3:18 into overtime as the London Knights defeated the Erie Otters 5-4 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action.
]]>ERIE, Pa. _ Liam Foudy scored his second goal of the night 3:18 into overtime as the London Knights defeated the Erie Otters 5-4 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action.
Shane Collins, Dalton Duhart and Andrew Perrott also scored for the Knights (31-21-4).
Troy Lajeunesse had a pair of goals for the Otters (16-29-10), while Chad Yetman and Patrick Fellows added the others.
Jordan Kooy made 31 saves for London as Daniel Murphy turned aside 28 shots for Erie.
The Knights went 1 for 3 on the power play while the Otters scored once on five chances with the man advantage.
London’s Cole Tymkin was given a game misconduct for abuse of the official early in the second period.
—SPIRIT 5 FIREBIRDS 3
FLINT, Mich. _ Blade Jenkins, Damien Giroux and Mason Kohn all produced a goal and two assists as Saginaw handed the Firebirds their sixth loss in a row.
Jake Goldowski scored the eventual winner at 11:49 of the third for the Spirit (27-20-8). Marcus Crawford also scored as Evan Cormier made 32 saves for the victory.
Jake Durham, Jalen Smereck and C.J. Clarke found the back of the net for Flint (16-34-5). Luke Cavallin turned away 30-of-34 shots in a losing cause.
—GREYHOUNDS 7 STING 1
SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. _ Rasmus Sandin scored twice and Taylor Raddysh added a goal and two helpers as the league-leading Greyhounds halted Sarnia’s point streak at 16 games.
Joe Carroll, Anthony DeMeo, Hayden Verbeek and Barrett Hayton also scored for Sault Ste. Marie (47-6-4), which got a 27-save outing from Matthew Villalta.
Anthony Salinitri swas the lone scorer for the Sting (39-13-4), who were 14-0-2 on their run. Justin Fazio stopped 30-of-37 shots in a losing effort.
—COLTS 3 ICEDOGS 1
BARRIE, Ont. _ Leo Lazarev made 37 saves and Dmitry Sokolov had a goal and two assists as the Colts downed Niagara for their fourth win in a row.
Joey Keane and Aaron Luchuk supplied the rest of the offence for Barrie (34-19-3).
Johnny Corneil scored for the IceDogs (26-21-8), losers of nine straight. Colton Incze stopped 40-of-42 shots in defeat.
—BULLDOGS 8 WOLVES 4
SUDBURY, Ont. _ Benjamin Gleason had two goals while Matthew Strome and Brandon Saigeon each scored once and set up two more as Hamilton handed the Wolves their fourth straight loss.
Connor Walters, Arthur Kaliyev, Marian Studenic and Riley Stillman also scored for the Bulldogs (35-15-6). Kaden Fulcher made 36 saves for the victory.
Macauley Carson struck twice and David Levin and Blake Murray also scored for Sudbury (14-36-6). Jake McGrath combined with Marshall Frappier for 28 saves in a losing effort.
Wolves forward Darian Pilon was given a game misconduct for being the aggressor early in the third period.
—ATTACK 9 67’S 6
OWEN SOUND, Ont. _ Nick Suzuki had two goals and two assists and Alan Lyszczarczyk scored twice as the Attack snapped Ottawa’s point streak at 10 games.
Maksim Sushko and Kevin Hancock had a goal and two helpers each while Brady Lyle, Daylon Groulx also scored for Owen Sound (28-20-7). Olivier Lafreniere made 26 saves for the win.
Graeme Clarke, Sasha Chmelevski, Tye Felhaber, Oliver True, Austen Keating and Travis Barron scored for the 67’s (25-22-8), who were 7-0-3 in their previous 10. Cedrick Andree stopped 25-of-29 shots in 48:37 of relief to take the loss.
]]>HockeyJr HockeyOHLMark Humphrey/APmrazek_petrPetr Mrazek stops Predators again, Red Wings winhttp://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/petr-mrazek-stops-predators-red-wings-win/
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/petr-mrazek-stops-predators-red-wings-win//#commentsSat, 17 Feb 2018 23:09:19 ESTSun, 18 Feb 2018 01:28:21 ESTAssociated PressPetr Mrazek stopped 30 shots to remain unbeaten against Nashville as the Detroit Red Wings beat the Predators 3-1 Saturday night.
]]>NASHVILLE — Petr Mrazek wasn’t aware until earlier in the day how well he’s played against the Nashville Predators. Then he went out and beat them again.

Mrazek stopped 30 shots to remain undefeated against Nashville, leading the Detroit Red Wings to a 3-1 victory Saturday night.

Mrazek improved his career record against the Predators to 6-0-0, coming within six minutes of getting his second shutout against them.

"I saw that for the first time today that I was 5-0 against them," Mrazek said. "Every game is different and you never know what kind of bounce will go in, but it was nice that I got the (sixth) today."

Last season, Mrazek had 42 saves in a shutout at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

"I think there are certain atmospheres and buildings and maybe teams where guys — when they’ve had success — might feel a little more confident," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "Certainly (Mrazek) was great in here last year and he was great in here again tonight. So this does seem to be a building he’s excited about."

Defenceman Luke Witkowski scored his first NHL goal, Gustav Nyquist and Darren Helm also scored for the Red Wings, who beat Nashville for the seventh straight time dating back to 2013.

"I hope to make it eight when we play them (at home) on Tuesday again," Blashill said. "We know they’re a great team, as deep a team as there is in the league. We know we’ll have our hands full next time, but when we play with a highly competitive work ethic and style like we did tonight, we’ve got a good chance to win."

Craig Smith scored for the Predators, who lost in regulation at home in consecutive games for the first time since Dec. 19-21. Juuse Saros finished with 31 saves.

"I thought we played well — we had a lot of shots and a lot of good chances and we were competing hard," Predators defenceman Ryan Ellis said. "They worked just as hard and they earned that win."

The Predators had the upper hand in the game’s opening minutes, but Detroit capitalized on a blown coverage to take a 1-0 lead 4:12 into the game. Nashville defenceman Anthony Bitetto was caught well up ice, leading to a breakaway for Witkowski, who beat Saros with a backhand on the Red Wings’ first shot.

"Honestly I kind of blacked out a little bit," Witkowski said of his rare breakaway opportunity. "I just got the puck on my backhand and shot it. I got it past his blocker. It was crazy. It was cool, though."

Detroit doubled its advantage midway through the first when Nyquist re-directed Nick Jensen’s shot between Saros’ legs for his 16th.

The Red Wings blocked 10 Predators shots in the game’s first 11 minutes and finished with 26 for the game.

"They blocked a lot of shots," Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. "We hit the post a few times. We just couldn’t seem to get it to bounce our way offensively. That seems to be a common theme right now. When you’re not scoring goals, it becomes difficult to win."

Nashville had three power-play opportunities in the first 40 minutes, but managed just one shot on goal during that stretch. The Predators had gone 0 for 21 with the man advantage over seven contests before Smith scored on a breakaway with 5:25 left in the third for his 17th.

Mrazek came up with a couple of big saves earlier in the third period to keep the Wings’ two-goal lead. He turned away Calle Jarnkrok on a short-handed breakaway and denied Ellis’ blast from the slot.

Helm capped the scoring with an empty-netter with 1:19 left.

NOTES: Nashville C Kyle Turris returned to the lineup after missing Thursday’s game due to illness. … The Predators flipped their third defensive pairing in this game, scratching Alexei Emelin and Yannick Weber and inserting Matt Irwin and Anthony Bitetto. Emelin had played in 54 straight games. … Red Wings D Mike Green, the subject of much trade speculation, sat out the game with an upper-body injury. … The crowd of 17,561 was a Bridgestone Arena record.

“This wasn’t my best game by far,” Lack said. “Two of those goals, I mean, I didn’t make it easy on myself. I felt like the biggest thing for me was just to battle. Coming in I knew I was going to get a lot of shots.”

Making his third appearance as the backup since being recalled from Binghamton of the AHL on Feb. 4, Lack made a terrific glove save on Brayden Point’s in-close shot midway through the second.

“Eddie was awesome,” Devils defenceman Ben Lovejoy said. “That’s a really good team over there. They have a ton of skill. They play hard.”

Lovejoy, Nico Hischier, Pavel Zacha and Miles Wood scored for the Devils. Taylor Hall had an assist and has a point in each of the last 17 games he has played in.

“We gave them the opportunity to win the game and they took advantage,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said.

The Lightning, who have lost four of seven, fell a point behind Vegas for the NHL’s best record.

Devils went ahead 3-2 on Zacha’s 2-on-1 short-handed goal at 6:27 of the second.

Zacha’s goal came while Wood was serving two minor penalties, including a boarding infraction for a dangerous hit on Vladislav Namestnikov. The left wing and Tampa Bay’s Andrej Sustr, whose visor broke and cut his nose, were sent off for roughing during the same sequence.

Both Sustr and Namestnikov played in the third period.

Wood extended the lead to 4-2 from the slot 1:24 into the third before Stamkos made it a one-goal game on the power play at 5:15.
“A lot of mistakes,” Stamkos said. “Three goals should be enough to win.”

Point stopped a nine-game goal drought with his 21st goal on the power play at 2:47 of the second but the Devils pulled even at 2 just 26 seconds when Hischier scored during a 2-on-1.

After Lovejoy got his first goal in 31 games from along the right wing boards 2:59 into the first, Kunitz tied it at 1 with 7:19 left in the period.

“A well-placed shot that went in,” Lovejoy said with a smile. “I assume Vasilevskiy did not see my shot. Miles Wood skated right in front of him.”

NOTES: Devils C Brian Boyle missed his third straight game with a right shoulder injury. . Tampa Bay RW Nikita Kucherov had an assist and has a six-game point streak. He has 11 shots on goal. . New Jersey C Travis Zajac moved past Jay Pandolfo into sixth place among skaters on the Devils games list with 820.

The 28-year-old Cron was acquired Saturday night in exchange for a player to be named. He appeared in 100 games with 92 starts last season, hitting .248 with 16 homers and 56 RBIs.

Dickerson was the AL’s starting designated hitter in last year’s All-Star Game. His production dipped after the All-Star break, however the 28-year-old still posted career highs in several categories, including runs (84), hits (166) and home runs (27).

The Rays acquired Dickerson from Colorado in January 2016. He batted .265 with 51 homers and 132 RBIs in two years with Tampa Bay. He’s a .280 career hitter with 90 homers and 256 RBIs over parts of five seasons with the Rockies and Rays.

The Rays also traded right-handed pitcher Jake Odorizzi to the Minnesota Twins for minor league infielder Jermaine Palacios.
The 27-year-old Odorizzi moves to his third major league team.

For the Rays in 2017, Odorizzi went 10-8 with a 4.14 ERA and 127 strikeouts in 143 1/3 innings over 28 starts. He pitched a career-best 187 2/3 innings over 33 starts in 2016, posting a 3.69 ERA. Odorizzi was drafted by Milwaukee 32nd overall in 2008. He made his debut with Kansas City in 2012 before being dealt to Tampa Bay the next season.

The 21-year-old Palacios has a .290 career average over four minor league seasons. He finished last year with Class A Fort Myers.

The 27-year-old Odorizzi will join his third major league team in the Twins, who won’t have right-hander Ervin Santana for the first several weeks of the regular season while he recovers from surgery on his middle finger. Kyle Gibson, Jose Berrios and Adalberto Mejia are the only other returning pitchers who made more than 10 starts for the Twins in 2017.

Phil Hughes is also in the mix, recovering from a second thoracic outlet surgery on his ribs in as many years, but the Twins were concerned enough about their lack of proven candidates to make the trade for Odorizzi. They’ve also, according to multiple reports, reached an agreement with right-hander Anibal Sanchez, who has made 262 starts for the Tigers and Marlins over the last 12 seasons.

For the Rays in 2017, Odorizzi went 10-8 with a 4.14 ERA and 127 strikeouts in 143 1/3 innings over 28 starts. He pitched a career-best 187 2/3 innings over 33 starts in 2016, posting a 3.69 ERA. Odorizzi was drafted by Milwaukee 32nd overall in 2008. He made his debut with Kansas City in 2012 before being dealt to Tampa Bay the next season. He’s 40-38 with a 3.83 ERA in 705 1/3 major league innings.

The 21-year-old Palacios has a .290 career average over four minor league seasons. He finished last year with Class A Fort Myers. To make room for Odorizzi on the 40-man roster, the Twins transferred right-handed pitcher Michael Pineda to the 60-day disabled list.

The No. 2 seed lost track of the score and didn’t realize he had closed out the match when he beat fourth-seeded Adrian Mannarino 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-3 in the semifinals of the New York Open.

Querrey won the final four games at Nassau Coliseum, but thought he had one more to go as he walked toward the bench following his second straight service break.

“I broke, I kind of like gave a fist pump and I was walking to the bench, and then the crowd was a little like too loud for just a break of serve and I looked up and, ‘Oh my gosh, I won,”’ Querrey said.

He advanced to face top-seeded Kevin Anderson, the U.S. Open runner-up, in Sunday’s final. Anderson beat fifth-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan, the tournament winner from 2013-16 when it was played in Memphis, Tennessee, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (4) in the night match.

Querrey fought off three break points while serving at 2-3 in the third set, then broke Mannarino in the next game and cruised from there, closing out the match in just under 2 hours for his first victory over the Frenchman in four career meetings.

The U.S. Davis Cup player said he couldn’t remember ever losing track of the score on the ATP Tour.

“I think I was just so dialed in because I wanted to beat him so badly because I’ve never beat him before,” Querrey said.

The 30-year-old Californian is ranked a career-high 12th. He has 10 ATP Tour victories, winning last year in Los Cabos and Acapulco.
Mannarino is still seeking his first ATP Tour title. At No. 25, he is the highest-ranked player without one.